"Kate Loves A Mystery," which
started out as a short flight pilot series called "Mrs. Columbo" when it
aired last season, went through title changes of "Kate Columbo" and "Kate
The Detective" before it made its season debut under the "Mystery" handle
Thursday (18). The skein does not seem to have undergone any fundamental
alterations other than the introduction of Don Stroud as a police detective
friendly to the lead character.

The "Columbo" identification,
which was more for b.o. appeal than plot necessity, seems to have been
dropped completely and star Kate Mulgrew, at least in the opening stanza,
was merely Kate No-last-name, a reporter for a paper in "the valley" (presumably
in the Greater Los Angeles area). As the title implies, she is nosey about
homicides - in fact, she appeared downright meddlesome in the homicide
in question, the demise of a housewife involved in afternoon prostitution.

After considerable mucking around
gathering the dimensions of the racket, plus a finale featuring a high-speed
car chase, the hour came to an end without any clearcut indication that
the murder had been solved - although the head villain had Kate at gunpoint
during the car chase, which is not evidence that he killed the victim.
Apparently Kate loves a mystery but is only lukewarm about evidence that
will stand up in court.

All of which suggests that "Kate's"
hiatus time has been devoted to making interior changes that don't matter
rather than adjustments that would. Mulgrew is not the problem - she has
a strong personality and presence that wears very well, and deserves plot
challenges that involve something more complex than being put in personal
jeopardy. Her regular support -- Henry Jones, Lili Haydn and Stroud - had
little to do in the opener, a particular waste of Stroud, an actor of strong
presence who deserves a better function than being merely the cop who bails
her out of trouble when muscle is needed.

"Kate" is thus still a skein
without a clear focus on what it intends to be. Mulgrew has the potential
to register strongly as the series lead, but she must be given sturdier
material to accomplish that goal. - Bok.